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Alistair Anderson

Concertina Player, Northumberland, North East England

The Grand Chain

1987 - Black Crow Records

With The Steel Skies Band and with Will Atkinson • Bob Fox • Joe Hutton • Willy Taylor

Ranges from traditional tracks featuring the shepherds; Will Taylor, Joe Hutton and Will Atkinson, to Anderson’s second extended composition Windy Gyle –

  1. Glakey Hornpipe / Peter's Peerie Boat/Young Scotty
  2. Ten Years On
  3. Frank Bishop's Farewell / Swallow's Tail
  4. Lady Walpole's Reel / Trip To The Rousay / Trip To Durham
  5. When Winds Begin To Sing
  6. Robertson's Reel / Great North Run/Grand Chain
  7. Spalpeen Aroon
  8. On Wind Gyle
  9. Tailor's Revenge

Aliatair Anderson : English Concertina, Northumbrian pipes (tracks 3 & 7)
  Will Atkinson : Harmonica, Bob Fox : Piano
  Joe Hutton : Northumbrian Pipes, Willy Taylor : Fiddle
The Steel Skies Band -
  Tony Corcoran : Fiddle, Martin Dunn : Flute, Whistle
  Robin Dunn : Mandolin, Chuck Fleming : Fiddle

PLAY SELECTED CD TRACKS

 The Grand Chain CD cover - click for larger version
Post & Packaging

“... fuses the shifting moods of the Border landscape with the changing rhythms of its musical tradition. Both composition and performance radiate light and energy”
The Guardian

"Even a cursory listen to the opening side, with Alistair surrounding himself with highly respected North eastern Musicians Will Atkinson(harmonica), Joe Hutton (pipes) and Willy Taylor(fiddle) lets you know this is a labour of absolute love for all concerned. These four displayed an irresistible rapport and mutual respect when they appeared at Bracknell festival this year and here their work shows exactly the same joyful informality.
The second side is a different can of chanteurs altogether, bringing together the Steel Skies band for On Windy Gyle, another of Alistair’s highly-rated pieces, originally commissioned for the South Bank Festival. Almost a postscript to Steel Skies this is in turn both beauteous and inspiring, underlining Anderson’s gift as a composer and arranger as well as being the most buoyant squeezebox player on God’s earth."
Colin Irwin Folk